Kirk Vallis

When amazing stuff happens in the world today, it's often put down to one of two things; technological advancement, or often a simple case of luck or serendipity. For Kirk, neither of these are the reason. Even though he spends time in the heart of SiliconValley and is a huge advocate for the power of tech at driving innovation exponentially, It's ultimately down to real people. People innovate, not technology. And it's rarely a total accident. Whilst we may not be consciously aware of it at the time, it’s consistently the same behaviours, attitude and dynamics at play when people are at their most creative and disruptive.

Kirk believes the principles behind why we do brilliant stuff where and when we do are the same everywhere. All over the world, and inside and outside of tech. Whether we're building space elevators or simply looking for new options to solve everyday challenges, the conditions we create for ourselves and others in those moments is the difference between getting stuff done and getting impactful stuff done!

Kirk's time is mainly spent as Google’s Head of Creativity Development, where he works to close the gap between how we know we should behave at work, and how we often do. He helps Googlers understand what it is about the approach, but vitally, the behaviours, that teams and individuals exhibit that time and again result in an awesome piece of innovation, a fresh way to solve a problem, or simply positive change. His goal is to unleash the creative potential in everyone at Google, to help them create the right mental and physical conditions whenever they want a more positive outcome to a situation they're faced with.

Where time permits, Kirk acts as an advisor, mentor and public speaker. His ongoing relationships include Adidas, England Rugby and the ECB. He is also an ambassador for Women Ahead and Moving Ahead, social enterprises focussed on helping greater diversity in business and the leadership of sport.

Kirk has also been a mentor to The Hope Fund for Cancer Research, helping some of the world’s most respected biologists, geneticists and Nobel prize winners, to disrupt traditional thinking. He has also led workshops at Singularity university, Wharton business school and Stanford, to help senior executives unite the power of technology and human creativity.